My God that was a really good series. I mean really really good. In fact I have to say it's probably one of my favorite series of all time.

I got the three Omnibus's (Ominbuses?) for Christmas but I had to put them off as I was re-reading Wheel of Time in preparation of A Memory of Light. When I first opened Theft of Swords I was so into it I completed the entire first half (The Crown Conspiracy) in two sittings. I read the rest of it much slower to savour it, and I am so glad I did so. The characters were very real and likeable, the writing was great, the setting was incredible, and the plot was just fantastic. The Ending

Anyways now that the gushing is out of the way I had a small question (possibly for Michael J Sullivan because I've seen him around this subreddit before). Question

For anyone who has finished the series...if you send me an email to michael (dot) sullivan (dot) dc (at) gmail (dot) com. I'll send you an afterword that has some interesting "behind the scenes" or "further details" I wrote it too late to get into the original series, but many have found it interesting. Thanks Idilsor - for "making my night." And for those that have commented. Truly it is feedback like this that gets me so excited to keep writing.

I really loved the series as well. I read them very quickly. The story has a very natural flow to it. There were several times where I was able to guess what was coming but there were enough times I was surprised.
Endish spoiler

I'm glad you liked the characters and the dialog. They were with me for years before I started to write the series so I really have a pretty good feel for each of them. Here's to hoping that people will want to hear more from them in the future.

Well for that last one: for all we know she did. Iirc he was unconsious for a while when they met (I'm fairly certain she nursed him back to health) so ahe could have read his future an he being out cold wouldn't have noticed her collapse.
And Yoric was Esrahaddon's teacher and it never said he was an elf, and it refered to him as an "old man" so I believe he was a human.

Good series overall, although there were a couple of issues I had with it. First, Michael uses the "brick to the face" method of foreshadowing a little heavily in some places. It got the point where I was getting annoyed that the characters didn't realize that Gwen was going to die, it was being hammered so hard. Too Good For This Sinful Earth was overused in at least three places, and it made the deaths a little overly predictable. Second, there's nothing wrong with writing a book that's a little less dark and edgy than ASoIaF, but if you do, don't threaten major characters with rape, murder, or suicide, because everyone knows it's not really going to happen. If you're going to do that, you've got to actually follow through with it at least once so we take you seriously. Fortunately, most of the major plot twists were handled much better. I especially liked the revelation that Merick had masterminded the entire journey of the Emerald Storm at the end of the second book.

It's always difficult writing a book because what is a "brick to the face" for one reader is "completely missed by others." This means a constant tight rope walk. Because I get feedback from people on both sides....in other words - "oh my God I never saw that coming" as well as "I knew that all along" I'm happy with the results.

You'll be pleased to know that more books featuring those characters are being written but from what I understand they are prequels to the original story.

I'd honestly like to see some sequels. The author has said that he feels the story has come to a natural end, but I think there's room for some interesting events given the situations the characters all found themselves in.

The Crown Tower - explores in details the first job that Royce and Hadrian ever did together at the request of Arcadius. It is interesting because neither of these guys liked each other much ... or at all ... so it was fun for me to determine how they would start to form the bonds of friendship that they eventually forge.

The Rose and Thorn - explores two events both mentioned in the past but again tells the 'full story' in a pretty interesting way.

The big challenge for me was to write these prequels in a way that wouldn't spoil anything in the Revelations series. I wanted people to be able to read chronological or "order of publication" and still have a good experience and from what I've been able to gather from the beta readers I think I succeeded.

Sequels are not 'out of the question' but the series was very carefully choreographed and I don't want to "tack" on as I feel that runs a huge risk of ruining what I worked so hard to wrap as I did. I'd be most interested in sequels that are far in the future where most of the deeds of Revelations is now myth and legend. But as I said, nothing is off the table at this point - it's just a matter of priority as to which stories get attentions when. A big part of that has to do with if there will even be any interest for more books. We'll see how things go after the next two come this summer/fall.

Aye, it is. If the first two Riyria Chronicles show some "traction" I have plenty more stories waiting in the wings - and that is one of them. It all depends on if people want more - so I'm playing it by ear.

The ending literally took my breath away and gave me goosebumps. Not every day that happens, props to Mr. Sullivan. The whole series was well-written, fun fantasy, great characters and intrigue, but the last couple books were really some of the best fantasy I've ever read.

Wow that brings a smile to my face. A lot of people (myself included) think it was pretty insane to structure the series as I did. In order to have "the big finish" that I did, it was important to avoid front loading and to have clues come across the whole series. This means that a lot of the world and character building are purposefully not covered in early books and it's easy for some to come to the conclusion that the absence is based on lack of skill rather than careful planning.

When I read criticism from people who "leave early" I'm consoled by the fact that they don't "know the whole story. It is those that get to the end whose opinions I care the most about, and so far that has met and exceeded my expectations - so thank you for that.

Likeable characters was certainly a big part of what I was shooting for - so I'm glad that you have felt similarly. When I've analyzed all my favorite books the most consistent thing for my personal reading preference is to have people I would really have wanted to know in real life.

Weaving of the threads was possible because of writing the whole series together before putting out any of the books. A pretty insane thing to try, as writing six books with no feedback as to whether they will be liked is a huge gamble.

I'm now 6 days into "my next series" and I'm doing exactly the same thing (writing all three books together). In fact just earlier today I finished plotting out the third book. I'm now working on character studies and hope to start writing in a few weeks (month tops). In many ways it will be a race...can I get the ENTIRE series written before money runs out on Riyria. I hope so, because Riyria wouldn't have been half as good if I couldn't have gone back and adjusted things as later books were written.

Thanks so much for all the support and for letting me know you enjoyed the series.

Will do. I have heard only great things about the series. One of my friends recently finished them and has been telling everyone to read them. He says it is one of the best fantasy series he's ever read so its definitely high on my to do list

Actually, when in the beginning of the series I would definitely say that if I was a reader rather than the author. I'd think, "Hey it was fun. Some good characters, and fast-moving, but nothing to write home about."

I think though once you get to the end of the series, and especially if you re-read (as given context you'll see things that you didn't the first time through), that even the beginning takes on a different perspective as you can see (hopefully) how pieces were being placed for future connections. A lot of that comes from writing the entire series before publishing even the first one, because I could weave thread earlier when a great idea came up later.

What always amazes me about this series, is I really was only writing something specifically to suit my tastes, and in so doing I've found others that felt the same way. When I got done and finished the last page I actually thought to myself, "Wow...now THAT was a good time!" I know that probably sounds egotistical but it is how I felt, and I know a big part of that comes from being tailor-made for my own preferences.

I'll keep on eye out for those connections as I keep reading. I didn't know you wrote the whole series before publishing it, that's really cool! I don't think I know of any other authors who have done that. I'm sure it helps make the books really cohesive and consistent, both with tone and writing style, as well as with the plot.

It's not egotistical to be proud of your work, especially when you have a whole thread of people gushing about how much they liked it! And I feel like that's one of the best ways to write a novel; write something that you'd love to read and there are bound to be others who'll love it too.

But of course. I'd never miss an opportunity to discuss the books with others. It's the best part. I wouldn't recommend the approach (of writing them all) to other authors. It can mean more than a decade of work with no guarantee of any traction. But since I wasn't intending to publish at all, it worked out well for me.

100 pages into the first book right now, and I have one little question for those who have read it (or Michael, I suppose, if you want to answer)...

There have been off-hand mentions of Elves and Dwarves a couple times so far. Are these Tolkien-esque elves and dwarves, or is there a "spin" on them? Not that there's anything wrong with Tolkien-esque elves and dwarves. Just curious.

Yes and No. At the stage of your book you haven't seen any "real elves" just half-breeds. Physically they would be similar to Tolkien's elves slender builds etc. But my elves aren't the "cool uber ancient graceful and wise" of Tolkien. They are more like Jews in pre-WW2 Europe or American Indians during the 1700's. They are looked down upon and treated as "loathsome creatures." Dwarves, you really don't get to see much in the book - with the exception on one, Magnus. But yes they have traditional dwarf-like traits in appearance and a reputation for being master at crafting things of great beauty (especially stone, gems, or the like).

Well thank you so much. I really enjoy this fourm and also /r/writing where I try to do what I can to let writers learn from the mistakes I've made. Writing is so solitary, it's nice to take a break and interact with people from time to time.

This will always be one of my absolute favorite series ever. It was so engaging and fun to read and the ending hits you right in the feels. What a payoff! I recommend to everyone I know who might read fantasy. I still say to this day that Wintertide is one of my top 3 books ever.

I have to say though, despite being an avid reader of the genre and someone who prides himself on paying attention to detail spoiler